


The Ghost in the Dark

by Joyce (Alysswolf)



Series: Ghost Series [3]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: Alternate Universe, Character Turned Into a Ghost, Gen, Ghosts, Halloween
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-02
Updated: 2013-06-02
Packaged: 2017-12-13 19:22:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/827921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alysswolf/pseuds/Joyce
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mulder celebrates his first Halloween as a ghost.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Ghost in the Dark

Perched on the printer table, his legs folded under him in a lotus position, Mulder peered over Scully's shoulder to read a file on a case that he hoped might be less obvious than the district FBI office seemed to think it was. He was grasping at straws really, but the air of boredom in the basement was thick enough to cut with a knife. Chalk up another fact I didn't know about ghosts, he thought ruefully to himself, they get bored. 

"Come on, Scully, turn the page already," he whispered softly. One of the many disadvantages to his new existence was being forced to read files at Scully's painstakingly thorough pace. Unless Simon left the office, he had to remain completely invisible. Being a ghost had its drawbacks. It could be fun, on occasion, but it was not a career he would have chosen if given half a chance.

Special Agent Simon Ambercrombie, the newest member of the X-Files team, stretched and rolled shoulders aching from too much desk duty. It had been nearly three weeks since their last case and he was about ready to start browsing 'The Enquirer' in hopes of scaring up something that would get them out of this office and away from paperwork.

"Scully, it's almost three, do you mind if I take off a bit early?" Simon asked. "If I have to look at another expense report form, I will not be responsible for the permanent damage to my psyche," he added with a smile. "Besides, it's the big night tonight and I have got to get ready."

"Aren't you a bit old for trick or treating?" 

"You're never too old for chocolate," Simon retorted slyly. 

He was pleased to see his quip get a smile out of his partner. She had been very quiet lately. It didn't take a genius to realize that the anniversary of Mulder's birthday might be part of the reason for her silence. He noted the date and managed to get himself invited to a conference that week. While he would like to think she needed his support, he strongly suspected that she might prefer to be alone. She had not said a word, but he felt the atmosphere lighten in the office afterwards.

That reminded him, yet again, that he really needed to talk to the building supervisor about the ventilation system down here. The cold drafts were not occurring as often, but the other day he had walked through a cold zone that set his teeth to chattering. When he tried to find it again, it wasn't there. He had heard other agents in other parts of the building complain as well so he couldn't even pin his hopes on the idea that the office was haunted.

"Seriously though, I have to get home and into costume before the kids start swarming. Two years ago we had a real problem with vandalism and highway robbery of loaded treat bags so the complex organized a watch patrol, in full costume no less."

"Better get going then. At least all I have to worry about is making sure I have enough candy to last the evening."

"What, no healthy candy alternatives?" Simon asked as he shoved a file into his briefcase and grabbed his coat.

"I'm a forensic pathologist, not a dentist. Halloween is a time for gorging yourself sick on chocolate and sugar candy," Scully replied with a reminiscent smile that widened as she heard Mulder's laugh behind her. 

"Well, good luck with the little monsters. See you on Monday." Simon hurried out the door, his footsteps echoing loudly as he sprinted for the elevator.

"Alone at last," Mulder sighed as he materialized as a smoky shadow on the other side of Simon's desk. He found this almost there, but not quite form to be the most comfortable and it gave Scully a definite physical reference when talking to him. He was discovering she really preferred to see who she was talking to and he was happy to oblige, usually.

Scully leaned back in her chair and contemplated her transparent partner as he rifled through the files on Simon's desk. She was slowly getting used to this strange relationship. Mulder was doing far better than she ever expected. The reports of random cold spots appearing throughout the building were diminishing. Mulder was behaving himself, for the most part. Agent Tom Colton's persistent bad luck might simply be karma catching up to him. What she didn't ask, she didn't have to feel guilty about, she reminded herself. 

"Hey, what do you say we blow this joint?" Mulder growled in his best Bogart imitation. 

He was feeling antsy. The neatness of the office still unsettled him. Simon's desk was an oasis of disorganization surrounded by an efficient arrangement of resources and equipment. He missed the comfortable clutter he had spent years creating. He also missed the ability to sigh in resignation. The best he could manage was a sort of off-kilter wavering of his ectoplasm that Scully said reminded her of shaking Jell-O.

This was Scully's office now. The memory of a particularly bitter exchange of words still haunted him. He had vowed not to interfere, but that didn't stop fits of nostalgia from striking at inconvenient moments. Being dead really sucked.

With her new-found sensitivity to Mulder's moods, helped by the fact that he turned odd shades of gray according to the prevailing emotion, Scully decided that she could finish her quarterly expense report at home. Death really hadn't changed Mulder all that much. As long as there was a case to keep him occupied, he seemed to accept being a ghostly appendage to her life. He had been on his best behavior despite the boredom of no new case in nearly three weeks, but she was well aware of his growing restlessness. She had been bracing for an outbreak of mischief in the upper levels of the FBI building for nearly a week now; it was like waiting for the other shoe to drop. Mulder was going to get into mischief. The only question was how much chaos was he going to leave in his wake.

"Mister, are you trying to suborn the misconduct of a FBI agent?" she asked with mock sternness. 

"All the time," Mulder retorted with a wicked grin as he walked over to the door and waited while Scully packed up her briefcase.

He was restless, but more than that, he felt ... well, twitchy. This was his first Halloween as a ghost. Maybe that was what was making him uneasy. Legends said that the dead walked the earth tonight. He really wasn't in the mood to encounter hoards of other ghosts on holiday in the land of the living while he wasn't allowed to pass into heaven or hell or whatever waited on the other side of that damn gray fog bank. 

Part of him wanted to give the kids out trick or treating the thrill of a lifetime. The other part wanted to go hide somewhere very dark until the whole thing was over with. At least he had a third option, and the one he'd probably end up choosing - spend the evening with Scully. Maybe she'd let him hand out some of the candy if he promised to conceal his identity and not scare the real little ones. If not, well there were always a few smart-aleck teenage boys who might benefit from a good hair-raising scare, he thought with a mischievous smile.

He followed Scully down the short hallway to the elevator, his hand resting lightly on the small of her back. Almost like old times. Mulder stayed in his quasi-cohesive state until the elevator hit the first floor. As the elevator settled and the doors began to open, he faded into the ether. 

"See you at home," he whispered to her as she maneuvered her way past the influx of agents. She gave him a brief nod before heading out across the lobby. Unless she needed him, Mulder rarely rode home with her. He had a tendency to distract her and Washington traffic needed her full and complete attention. One close call was all it took for him to decide Scully was safer without him as a passenger.

By the time he heard Scully's footsteps outside her door, he could feel the lengthening shadows herald twilight. Scully did not need to know that he had spent the past hour pacing restlessly through her apartment, into the common area outside and even down the street a ways. He felt cooped up, almost cramped as the day slid into evening. The urge to roam was growing stronger. Hopefully it was not the urge to appear over his grave and boo at passing children. Maybe it was just the wind. Maybe it was just his over-active imagination. Maybe he was simply fucked.

With that comforting thought he conjured up a smile to greet Scully.

"I put the candy out in the baskets and there's tea brewing. I thought you might like a chance to sit down and relax before the invasion begins," Mulder said as he drifted over to perch on the edge of the couch, making sure he was solid enough to stay on top of the armrest. 

"Thanks." Scully carefully put her briefcase away, then sank into her favorite chair and kicked off her shoes. "It's going to be a classic Halloween night out there. The wind is picking up and that cold front they predicted is right on schedule."

Mulder remained silent, preoccupied with listening to the wind rattle around the windows. Something was coming. With every second the earth moved closer to sundown, it, whatever 'it' was, drew closer. 

"You OK?" Scully asked concerned by Mulder's silence.

"Sorry," Mulder said as he jerked his attention back to Scully. He wasn't sure talking with her would do much good - their frames of reference were light years apart, but brooding hadn't done much good so what the hell.

"You ever get the feeling that someone is dancing on your grave?" he asked seriously then sputtered as he realized exactly how that must have sounded. Scully looked aghast and amused at the same time. Mulder could practically hear the chuckle she was trying to suppress.

"OK, that didn't come out quite the way I intended," Mulder acknowledged with a rueful grin and a shrug. "I just have the feeling that I'm not alone and, quite frankly, the idea of coping with a lot of wandering ghosts scares me," he confessed shyly. He could tell that Scully was having a hard time imagining why he was scared, but she was trying to understand.

"Are you telling me that ghosts really do wander around on Halloween?" Scully's patented 'you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me stare was on in full force. "Ghosts don't ... well, they ... uh ... damn it," she ended, flustered and stammering.

"Ghosts don't exist?" Mulder quipped, letting himself fade until the lamp behind him was clearly visible through the hazy outline of his body. Just as Scully's stare began to slide into a glare, he materialized back to his usual smoky shadow. "Normally, I think they don't," he conceded with a smile. "Yours truly being an exception to the rule, as usual. However, tonight feels different somehow. Maybe there are some sort of union rules about me going out and spooking someone," Mulder flashed a big grin this time that sparked a smile from Scully. "Got any candidates?" he asked hopefully.

"Stay away from Skinner," Scully ordered firmly. Skinner had already experienced a few accidental encounters with Mulder and the last thing she needed were some direct questions.

"Wasn't thinking of it. Colton is no challenge any more and Simon is way too close to figuring out he is not alone for me to even go near him," Mulder said with a frustrated look on his face.

Mulder pondered the problem. Even if he wasn't required to go out and spook someone, it might be fun to be a misbehaving ghost for one night during the year.

"Just promise me that I won't have a howling mob waving torches show up on my front doorstep," Scully said. She gave Mulder one of her don't-mess-with-me looks to emphasize her extreme reluctance to cope with anything more stressful than an empty candy bowl.

"Why Scully, I never knew you were into B horror movies," Mulder responded with a delighted lilt to his voice.

"Let's just say I was into Boris Karloff and Peter Cushing and leave it at that," Scully retorted. Her secret passion for cheesy horror movies was going to come out eventually, she knew that. Mulder had been very good about staying out of her things, but she wasn't going to let Halloween go by without watching some of her favorite monster movies. Besides, the idea of watching them in the company of her very own ghost, sounded delightfully decadent.

"Well, if I run into either of them tonight, I'll bring them back with me," Mulder promised. His expression clearly betrayed his efforts not to laugh at the notion of his scientifically rational partner indulging in clandestine monster films.

"Come back without a mob on your tail and you can help me celebrate Halloween with a Karloff marathon," she offered.

"It's a date," Mulder agreed. Maybe once he shook off some of this sense of impending doom, he could sit down with Scully and pretend they were just two friends kicking back and having a quiet date.

For the next hour, as twilight settled into early evening, Scully was kept busy passing out candy to a steady stream of toddlers learning the ropes of this strange holiday. Most were struck dumb by the notion of going up to a complete stranger and asking for candy. 

After one unfortunate encounter with a husky pulling a wagon with a pair of twins dressed as Mounties, Mulder stayed well in the background. He hoped the little boys weren't traumatized for life, but they seemed to recover once the dog had been persuaded to come out of the bushes and the wagon set back upright. Scully gave each of the boys a large chocolate bar which seemed to reassure them that this was all part of the game. They left with their flustered father giving the poor dog a scathing scolding.

Around six, things slowed down to just an occasional eager youngster. The little ones were hustled home to dinner. The older kids were probably just starting out. For a moment, Scully could sit down and relax while Mulder refilled the candy bowls and brought her a fresh cup of tea. This was a side of Scully he had never seen. She had a rapport with the little kids. By some magic she could lure a smile out of even the shyest ones along with a barely audible 'tic ur teet.'

"You're pacing again, Mulder," Scully commented as she watched Mulder's transparent form restlessly walk through furniture and walls with a casualness that still disconcerted her.

"Sorry," he apologized as he looked around for a place to perch.

"I've got everything under control here. Why don't you go out for awhile?" she suggested firmly. Mulder's restlessness was contagious. She actually felt as if the walls were beginning to close in on her.

Mulder recognized the tone. It was one half-step below a direct order.

"Your wish is my command," he offered as he bowed gallantly.

"I may hold you to that," she replied with a suggestive smile.

Mulder turned a peculiar dusky shade that was the ghostly equivalent of blushing and disappeared. Scully took great delight in turning the tables on him; after for years of listening to his innuendoes. Thinking herself safe and him beyond acting on the suggestions she made, she revealed a streak of sexual humor he wished he had suspected existed when he was alive. He enjoyed hearing her joke with him too much to ever tell her that, for a ghost, thought was also action.

Mulder stayed invisible long enough to regain control. This had to be a curse. He had no defenses to hide behind in this state. His emotions were broadcast in the texture and color of his ectoplasm. Maybe this was payback for all the years he shoved his emotions into a box and kept them locked up lest anyone discover how vulnerable he was.

Scully was hauling herself to her feet to answer the door when Mulder appeared briefly to grin and wave before calmly walking through the front wall of her apartment into the night. She was chuckling as she dropped candy bars into a half dozen bags. It was good to see Mulder having fun. Even if he got in trouble, she suspected it would be worth it to him.

**************

Once outside, Mulder stood and watched the activity. Bands of children were running through the complex shrieking with excitement as they were caught up in the frenzy. Flashlights cast serpentine lines of light in the darkness.

Memories of Halloweens long past made him smile. He had forgotten so many things in his headlong pursuit of the truth. Now, being dead, but not gone, he had the leisure to recall those forgotten moments, the quiet times that slipped away under the deluge of the single agony of Samantha's abduction.

To his disgust, there were still black holes in his memory. Whatever or whoever had erased those memories left him with a perplexing gap that even death hadn't unlocked. He remembered one frustrating evening, not too long ago, when he and Scully had tried to unlock his past only to reluctantly concede that the belief in the all-knowing dead was a highly exaggerated bit of PR. He knew what he had known when he was alive and that wasn't much.

The urge to roam shook him out of his melancholy reflections. With a thought, he was standing in the hallway of his old apartment building. There were few children here in a building occupied mainly by older couples or bachelors. Maybe that's why Halloween never evoked the fond memories of taking Samantha trick or treating. Halloween was just one more night like any other in his narrow world. He stood outside the door to his apartment. Somebody had finally nailed the numbers firmly to the door. A young couple, just starting out, were living there now. The place held no claim on him and he turned away.

Another thought took him to a rainy Chilmark where kids scurried from house to house under giant umbrellas held by patient, soggy parents. Strange, the Halloweens in his memory were always windy and clear with just a hint of frost in the air. 

He let his memories take him to his childhood haunts, drifting with the rain and the wind, aimlessly trying to feel some connection with either the living present or the dead past. At last he realized that the memories here couldn't help him. They were dry bones, gnawed over until nothing was left but dust and ashes.

The thread connecting him to his mother was frayed and fragile, but enough to draw him to her. A small gesture, but one which paid tribute to the ancient tradition which spawned this holiday. He rather hoped his father's spirit, if roaming wasn't inspired by the same notion. 

Her cheery, well-lit house did not betray the dark secrets she carried concealed in her heart. Mulder watched as she gave each child a gold-foil wrapped chocolate treat ordered especially for this occasion from a shop in Boston. 

Another memory from his childhood. These treats were for their visitors; not for him or even Sam who could usually cajole treats out of their parents. He remembered Sam's wistful longing to taste one and was glad he had finally purloined one to give to Sam the last Halloween they had together.

The look on her face as she nibbled the imported chocolate was worth the eight hard licks with a belt his father gave him when the theft was discovered. For that one night, he had been Samantha's knight, bravely risking danger to fetch her the dragon's treasure. The next Halloween he ran off and hid from the sounds of children laughing and the smell of the Swiss chocolate that reminded him of Sam.

His mother closed the door and then he realized that under the outer shell of a contented elderly woman, she looked frail, even a bit lost. A mother should not outlive her children, even a mother whose devotion to preserving the secrets of her youth was more intense than her commitment to those children. Whatever secrets she held were poison to her now. Mulder could offer her no comfort; he had none to give her.

Fleeing his mother's living grave, Mulder drifted aimlessly, letting his memories carry him from place to place. His restlessness continued, unabated, but with no further clues as to what he was supposed to be doing.

"Damn it, Gordon. Can't you at least give me a fucking hint?" Mulder cried out to the doorkeeper of the afterlife who had firmly refused to grant him passage. As he expected, there was no answer. Obviously this was something he had to figure out for himself.

Suddenly the restlessness coalesced into a tug that yanked him from his idle meandering through the ether. The beat of a small drum dragged him headlong towards its source. He recognized a summons and railed at his helplessness to resist the call. Nobody had warned him about this, but he supposed he should have paid a bit more attention to some of his research material.

Finally his journey was over and he materialized in a haze of incense and foul-smelling herbs smoldering in a copper-bottomed pot set atop a small grill. A small woman sitting in an awkward cross-legged position beside the brazier was almost obscured by the smoke. Mulder caught a flash of gray hair and small hands as the smoke eddied and swirled around her.

"There you are," the woman exclaimed in a mix of exasperation and relief. "What did you do? Get lost or something?"

Mulder bristled at the indignant tone. This woman had summoned him like a wayward dog and now wanted to complain.

"Listen, lady, I don't know who or what you think you are, but I am not your personal servant," Mulder replied as calmly as his rising anger would allow. Looking around the room, he recognized an eclectic mix of early Celtic Christian symbolism, Wiccan ritual magic wardings, and a few other symbols he vaguely remembered from a hogan in New Mexico. 

He was standing in a circle drawn with some sort of ash surrounded by various symbols. He supposed they and the circle were designed to exert control over him, but there were so many that the end effect was that they canceled each other out. There was only the slightest tingling shock as he tested the barrier circle.

Mulder's anger now veered in a different direction. This woman had no inkling of the danger she was in. A less scrupulous ghost would already be exacting a heavy price for her summons. His own anger was apparently an instinctive response to being summoned and contained. Mulder filed that bit of information away for later consideration.

"I'm the one who summoned you. By the symbols of earth, fire, air and water, I command you until the moon sets," she replied in a deep rich alto voice that sounded more than a little pompous. More herbs were flung in the brazier, reducing the oxygen level even further. Mulder wasn't sure how the woman managed to keep breathing in this noxious cloud. 

Finally, he felt his patience snap. The smoke was making him nauseous; something he didn't think was possible. This woman was playing with matters beyond her comprehension. If she kept this up, she was going to learn the hard way that ghosts do *not* like being summoned and tend to get violent.

"No, you're the rude, incompetent wanna-be who interrupted my quiet evening with a friend," Mulder snapped as he surged through the confines of the circle. He felt a moment of searing pain, then he was free.

"No! You can't. Go back!" The woman tried to untangle her legs, but ended up scooting backwards on her plump rump until her back hit the wall.

Mulder advanced slowly on this erstwhile conjurer. He had to give her credit. She was afraid. Only a fool wouldn't be afraid of a six-foot-tall, extremely irritated ghost, but she hadn't fainted and the fear was mixed with a strong sense of aggravation.

As he loomed over her, oozing menace, he had to restrain an urge to chuckle and blow the effect he was trying to create. Despite her attempts to become one with the wall, she was muttering something about this just not being her day.

"OK, now that we've settled the little matter of who's in control here, why don't you tell me why you tried to coerce a ghost, on Halloween, no less," Mulder ordered sternly as he stepped back and allowed his body to dematerialize until it was a traditional ghostly shadow.

"You're going to be reasonable about this?" she asked in an unsteady voice as she scrambled to her feet. "Thank you, Lord," she muttered with a relieved sigh and a brief heavenward glance.

The woman couldn't be more than five feet tall, but gave the impression of a feisty terrier backed into a corner and prepared to fight if it had to. Despite his outrage at the conjuring trick, he was beginning to like this insane lady who summoned ghosts.

"Are you going to promise me to lay off the conjuring attempts?" Mulder demanded sternly.

"Oh, yeah. Actually, you were more or less a court of last resort. I've run out of other options. It seemed like a reasonable idea at the time," the woman confessed with a rueful smile and a self-depreciating chuckle.

Damn it, he really didn't want to get caught up in this lady's problems, but he couldn't begin to imagine what was so bad that she felt summoning up a ghost was her only solution. He felt the old familiar urge to get involved and help someone no one else would help.

"You mind telling me who are you and what on earth could be so bad that you think a ghost is the best solution?" Mulder asked incredulously.

"Could we sit down? Let me open a window and get some fresh air in here before I suffocate. Sheesh, no one ever mentioned that I should wear an aqua-lung when performing this ceremony." The woman carefully removed the pot from the grill, dumping the contents down the toilet, and covering the grill. The wind blowing in from the open windows cleared out the remaining haze quickly revealing a rather sparsely furnished living-room. She sat down in a comfortable-looking rocker and gestured for him to find someplace to sit or stand. Mulder chose to remain standing; it gave him the feeling that he was actually in control of this conversation which was beginning to seem less likely by the moment.

"Guess I should introduce myself. My name is Anna. I own a small bookstore down the street, but I suppose that's neither here nor there," she added contritely.

Mulder dithered for a moment then decided that Anna really didn't need to know his name. Knowing her, she might decide to start experimenting with name magic and he had no intention of making a return visit here every time she got the urge to play with magic.

"OK, that answers who. Now, why?" he prompted.

"I was afraid you'd ask that," Anna sighed. "You wouldn't just settle for I'm a crazy old lady, and leave it at that, would you?" She looked hopefully at him then sighed again. "Didn't think so. Just my luck to get an intelligent ghost."

Mulder couldn't help it, he chuckled. Anna smiled and he found himself smiling back at her. This was definitely turning into a very strange Halloween.

"It's the gang bangers in the neighborhood, actually four wanna-bes right here on this block. They've threatened to cripple anyone daring to go trick or treating on their turf unless they're paid protection money. They hustle the kids and terrorize the little ones until everyone is afraid to go out. I promised the families in this building that I would see to it that their kids would be safe. What better protection than a ghost?"

Why me, he asked a very unresponsive heaven. Even dead, he managed to run into these people. It was just his luck to run into a lady who wanted a ghost to guard kids while they are out trick or treating. 

"Lady, you are either insane or ... " Mulder paused trying to think of a way to express his amazement that anyone would resort to scavenging the afterworld for a bodyguard.

"Insane, probably, but actually more desperate than crazy. The longer we knuckle under to these juvenile terrorists, the less resistance we're inclined to put up to them taking over our lives." Anna looked angry and frustrated. Mulder understood, but wondered why on earth she didn't contact the police.

"Oh, and in case you're wondering about the police; don't. Been there, tried that and now have a reputation as a crank down at the local precinct. Seems our local bad boys have an early warning system and are always perfect little angels with the police happen by. No one else is willing to complain, so the nice men in blue think I'm a paranoid nutcase," Anna fumed.

Ouch, that hit too damn close to home, Mulder thought. He was finding it hard to resist Anna's dilemma. It might be fun, scaring a bunch of juvenile delinquents. Who knows, maybe a breath of cold air from the world of the dead might make them reconsider their career choice.

"OK, you've got yourself a ghost."

Anna grinned and sat up straight, almost quivering with excitement. Before Mulder could say another word, she was up and out of the apartment. He could hear her banging on a neighbor's door and yelling something about get the kids ready. He briefly considered bolting, but suspected that having gotten this far, Anna would just try to conjure up a replacement. He didn't want to think about who or what might show up next time. 

When Anna returned, she plunged into a closet and hauled out a huge black cloak and a staff that looked heavy enough to cold-cock an ox. What in hell did she need a ghost for when she carried that thing?

"Let's go. I'll herd the kids. You watch out for the junior terrorists. This is going to be FUN," Anna chortled as she flew out the door and began collecting small children as she hustled down the hallway.

Mulder figuratively took a deep breath and hurried after his charges. He considered the merits of various bloody apparition appearances and finally settled on the decomposing body. It was just the sort of thing you don't expect to materialize under your nose on a dark and windy night. Anna was right, this just might be fun, Mulder thought as he scanned the sidewalk for thugs.

**************

Gliding along behind the group of children following in Anna's wake, Mulder couldn't help but notice that unlike all the other children he'd seen tonight, these children were subdued, almost tentative. They bunched together and stayed right on Anna's heels, as if she had some magical power to protect them. He wasn't sure if it was the notion that Anna might have actually succeeded in summoning up a ghost or whether the kids were frightened of more mundane terrors, like older kids bent on hurting them.

As he watched, the children slowly begin to relax and enjoy the thrill of wheedling candy out of near strangers, Mulder decided that whoever the thugs were who had reduced children to timid, wary creatures was going to remember this night in their nightmares for years to come.

It was still twilight here, where-ever here was. He could still see the dying reflection of the sunset against a clear sky. It didn't take a crack FBI profiler to deduce that he wasn't on the East Coast anymore. That must have been one very powerful summons if it pulled him halfway across the country. He couldn't help but wonder if Gordon might have had a hand in latching the summons on to him. It gave him something to ponder as he scanned the area for predatory teenagers. Anna struck him as the type who probably had a very experienced and battle-scarred guardian angel who knew when to call in reinforcements.

As soon as he realized just how far from home he'd been dragged, he hastily checked on the link connecting him to Scully. It was stretched thin, but viable. With a little effort, he could feel her life-force vibrate along the thread that bound him to her. That was interesting, however. Distance thinned, but did not break the connection. He would have been happier being a little closer to her, but this was useful information to have if they ever did have to go in totally different directions   
on a case.

As he followed Anna and the kids past the turn-of-the-century buildings dwindling in disrepair, Mulder felt a crowd of memories clustering around them. Not quite ghosts; these were shadows of people long past who had left the impression of their lives on bricks and mortar. As he moved, he waded through the hopes and dreams of the generations who had made these buildings their home. Some might call these shadows ghosts, but Mulder sensed no intelligence, only memories trapped in time.

"They're pressing in close tonight. It must be sad to be a memory that no one remembers," Anna whispered softly as she dropped back to watch the children swarm a laughing woman showering gumballs into open bags.

Mulder didn't know whether he was supposed to overhear her comments or not. He didn't answer her; he didn't have an answer to give her. Anna, for lack of a better word, was spooky. Her calm acceptance of his existence, not to mention her sheer audacity in shanghaiing a ghost to act as guard dog to a bunch of children on Halloween, made him nervous. She walked calmly amid paranormal phenomena as if ghosts and shadows of memories were an everyday occurrence.

By the time it was full dark, the children were beginning to relax. Giggles and squeals of delight began to sound as they began the return trip back to their apartments. Several of the children seemed awestruck by the candy weighing down their bags.

Despite the neighborhood's decaying façade, the residents were generous with candy, even an occasional apple or orange. Mulder began to realize why Anna had been willing to take extreme measures to keep her word to her neighbors. He understood the weight of trust and the extremes someone would go to not to betray that trust.

So far, there had been no sign of the gang, but Mulder sensed that confrontation was not far off. A brief flash of memory came back to him and for an instant he was ten-years-old again, facing off with a bully who was demanding Samantha's and his candy. Only the appearance of his father had prevented an unpleasant debacle. This time, however, the advantages were all his. These young thugs were about to get payback with twenty-seven-year's accumulated interest.

The scent of raw violence was startlingly sharp in the evening air. It was coming and he still had no firm idea how he was going to handle the thugs. He was tempted to run on ahead and keep the children shielded from the confrontation, but perhaps it would be better to humiliate the thugs in front of their intended victims. Terror was their weapon. Making them look ridiculous and then scaring the hell out of them might convince them to find other neighborhoods to intimidate.

"On guard," he whispered to Anna who looked startled, but nodded. 

"OK, kids, let's keep together now. Jaimie, don't straggle." Anna managed to make herself heard over the giggling and the children hushed as they bunched up. The sparkling laughter was gone, replaced by cautious, almost fearful glances at the shadows. 

Mulder was reminded of deer startled by some unknown noise, poised between calm and flight. No one should be able to make children start in fear. He clamped down on his anger. Time enough, later on, for allowing that manifestation to appear.

At last he heard the thugs leave their alley hiding place and march out to confidently block the sidewalk. The children froze in their tracks, too frightened to move, even afraid to scatter. Hypnotized by the threat of their tormenters, they waited forlornly for the theft of their treasures.

Anna moved out to stand in front of the children, her heavy staff held out like a shepherd's crook. The toughs, in their mid-teens by the look of them, were dressed in brand new leather jackets that looked incongruous over faded jeans and T-shirts. Mulder suspected that some store owner was going to wake up tomorrow to find his inventory four jackets short. Instead of the guns and knives, he expected to see, Mulder noted that three of the boys held a length of heavy chain in their hands. The leader was coolly slapping a four-foot length of steel pipe in his hand. Formidable weapons for inflicting pain, yet ones that could be easily ditched if the police interrupted the party. Good, this was going to make his job a whole lot easier, he thought with a smile. In fact, this was shaping up to be more fun than he'd had since he died.

"Hand over the loot," the leader growled in what was obviously meant to be a menacing bass voice. 

Anna looked around, as if she expected to see Mulder, before shaking her head. "No. We're under the protection of the spirits, tonight. You can't hurt us," she intoned. 

The leader laughed and his followers began to jeer Anna while spreading out to encircle the children. Two kids bolted for home, but the rest simply bunched up tighter, trying to keep an eye on all four bullies at once. The boys began swinging the chains dangerously close to the children, keeping up a spinning arc of steel that flashed in the light of the streetlights. 

Mulder glided over to the boy who seemed to be taking the greatest pleasure in seeing how close his chain could come to a terrified girl dressed as a mushroom made of brown paper bags taped together. Up until a moment ago, she had been the proudest mushroom Mulder had ever seen. Now, her eyes were scrunched shut in terror as the chain whipped by her, ripping her costume.

Mulder had had enough. Keeping rigid control of his anger, he stepped in between the chain and the terrified girl. He waited until the chain reached the farthermost end of its arc, then materialized just enough to grab hold of it without becoming visible, except as a hazy shadow.

The effect was instantaneous. The chain stopped as Mulder grabbed it. All the power the boy had put behind the swing traveled back up the chain. When it reached the other end, the boy was slammed back against the brick wall with a most satisfying thud. For a moment, the chain hung suspended in mid air until the boy let go of his end. Very slowly Mulder lowered his end of the chain to the ground, coiling it neatly at the stunned boy's feet.

Mulder turned to see the children's eyes as big as saucers. He sensed a mix of fear and awe at seeing one of their tormenters taken down by an unseen hand. The other toughs looked wildly at their fallen comrade. One of them cleared his throat nervously, but they all held their ground. Apparently they were more afraid of their leader than whatever manifestation just wandered into their midst. That would change, Mulder promised them silently.

"What's going on here, old woman," the leader demanded angrily. Anna didn't reply, but kept a wary eye on him as he muttered curses under his breath. The other boys were dangerous as long as they were a pack. Alton was just pure meanness wrapped up in a boy's hide. 

Glancing back at Anna to make sure she was alright, Mulder chose as his next victim the nervous throat clearer. The boy's eyes were darting around, trying to see into shadows, paying little attention to the children in front of him. Gliding quietly behind the boy, Mulder tapped him on the shoulder with a hard, bony finger. The boy spun around, whipping his chain out with enough force to gouge a hole in the brick wall behind Mulder. The feel of the chain moving through his ectoplasm tickled. Allowing his voice to project to the boy alone, Mulder chuckled. 

From the expression on the boy's face, Mulder guessed that he had just peed in his pants. Hearing one of the kids giggle behind him, the boy whipped his chain out in a vicious swipe. The kids were too frightened to move as the chain hurtled in their direction. Abruptly the chain stopped as a hazy figure appeared in front of them. The figure yanked the chain out of the tough's hands and threw it into the street before advancing on the stunned boy.

Mulder had had enough. That chain would have crushed the head of anyone unlucky enough to be in its path. He was through playing games with this youngster. Drawing on all his considerable imagination, Mulder transformed himself into a rotting hulk of flesh and bone with an extra added dimension of smell thrown in on the spur of the moment. Mulder wasn't sure if that part would work, but it was worth a try.

As he stalked towards the boy, who was slowly backing up until his back was against the wall, Mulder began to change from a hazy ghostly figure to a full-blown manifestation of a four-month-old decomposing corpse. He took care to ensure that the only one who could actually see him was his victim. Seeing a nightmare coming after him the boy tried to scream, batting at Mulder with his hands, until he collapsed in a crying, pleading heap on the ground. Still angry, Mulder lifted his head and leaned in close to whisper, "Leave these kids alone or I'll be your constant companion. Waking or sleeping, I'll be right at your side. Understand?"

The boy whimpered and fainted. Whether the lesson had sunk in was uncertain, but Mulder felt reasonably sure that the boy wasn't going to look at shadows the same way ever again. 

The remaining boy looked at his fallen companions, looked at his fuming leader and decided that maybe being a member of the Bay Street Raptors wasn't such a good idea after all. This decision was confirmed when he saw the ghost of a horribly mutilated man appear over Torry's body and turn towards him with shreds of rotting flesh hanging off his skull and bony hands reaching out for him. He screamed and fled, dropping his chain in an effort to run faster.

"Damn you, Lowry, get your ass back here!" Alton raged as his last follower bolted for safety. Stupid wimp, to be afraid of some magic tricks. 

Anna looked at Alton and tried to feel some pity for him. She knew all the reasons she should feel pity, but he had chosen this path. 

"He's the dangerous one," Mulder said as he moved in to stand beside her. Gone was the horrific image of a rotting corpse. Instead, he materialized as himself, dressed in black sweater and jeans. Alton had gone too far into evil to be impressed by a ghost's parlor tricks. Besides, the children had reached the end of their ropes. Mulder could sense the hysteria building up and hoped that his ordinary-looking appearance would soothe their fears. 

"Give me a command. It will reassure the children that you're in control and I'm just some sort of trick you're pulling on the bad guys," Mulder whispered to Anna softly.

"Alton, back off before I ask the spirit I have summoned to protect us to chase you out of this neighborhood." Anna drew herself up to her full five-foot height and intoned the words with impressive depth and pomp. Mulder had to fight not to smile and wreck the effect. He concentrated very hard on keeping a grim expression on his face.

"This is just one of your tricks, old woman. I'm not sniveling little kid who can be frightened by some illusion," Alton retorted. He began moving forward, swinging the heavy pipe in a dangerous arc that forced Anna to retreat. Alton smiled, enjoying the rush of making someone else afraid.

"Not this time," Mulder said as he stepped between Anna and Alton. Alton took a vicious swing at him and nearly dropped the pipe when it sailed right through the figure standing in front of him. Another swing and another and still the figure stood there unharmed and unaffected. Alton began to tremble. Mulder reached out and pulled the pipe out of his hands and threw it into the alley. Slowly, he raised his hands until they cupped the sides of Alton's face and let Alton have the full force of his icy aura.

"Leave the people here alone. I don't want to have to come back and make this point again," Mulder said with deadly calm. Steeling himself for the feel of flesh intermingling with his ectoplasm, Mulder reached one hand into Alton's chest and let him feel his hand wiggling inside of his body.

Alton screamed. Releasing him, Mulder stepped back and let him flee down the street. From the look in Alton's eyes, he was going to be running for quite some time. 

Turning back to Anna, Mulder nodded. The children were clinging to her cape, hiding. 

"Children, is that anyway to thank our ghost?" Anna chided with a chuckle. She was smiling benevolently at Mulder who had obviously exceeded her wildest expectations.

Gradually, Anna persuaded one older girl to pry her face out of the cape and glance at Mulder who was squatting down about five feet away smiling. He was in a semi-transparent form, looking ghostly, but not threatening. It was Halloween, after all. Not many kids could boast of having their very own ghost take them trick or treating. Once they got over their fear, this would be a story to tell their grandchildren.

The girl gave him a teary, wavering smile. Mulder gave her one of his rare full grins. Her eyes lit up and she began to smile in earnest. It was nice to know he could still turn on the charm, Mulder thought as he began to lure the children out of their fright. The girl got a determined look in her eyes and walked over to him. 

"Tesa," Anna whispered fearfully.

Mulder froze, afraid to make a move. She touched him, looking awed as her hand passed through him. Mulder repressed a shudder and let her explore this strange manifestation in her own way. Dark brown eyes looked up at him.

"He's so sad. He's not mean at all," the girl said solemnly. The other children looked up at this and began to crowd around Mulder, some nervously, some boldly touching him, others hanging back on the fringes. 

Their hands tickled and Mulder laughed which set off laughter until most of the children had garnered up enough courage to touch him at least once. He even ventured to dematerialize completely, then slowly rematerialize to the children's squeals of delighted fear. 

"OK, children, it's getting late. I think our ghost has things he has to do tonight. Remember, it's Halloween. Ghosts have a lot of responsibility this night. Tell him thank you," Anna instructed. Mulder listened to the chorus of thank-you's and turned a deep smoky haze. 

"Albert, you and Tesa keep everyone together. I'll be along in just a moment or two." 

"Bye, Mr. Ghost. Happy Halloween," Tesa said as she proudly took her place in front of the group and began walking down the street towards home.

Mulder and Anna watched them march proudly down the street, giggling and comparing stories about touching a real ghost. 

"Thank you," Anna said simply. "I haven't seen them so happy in months. If you're ever back this way, drop in and say hello."

"Considering that I don't even know where 'here' is, that might be a bit difficult," Mulder replied absently, his attention still focused on Tesa who had looked inside a ghost and seen the sadness without running in fear.

"St. Louis. Just look for the Ravensloft Book Store and Coffee Shop. You'll be welcome any time." Anna smiled and held out her hand. "I think I lucked out when you showed up. I really must remember to do something very nice for my guardian angel."

"Just lay off the ghost summoning and I think he'll be very happy," Mulder replied as he solidified enough to take her hand. She shivered as she felt his icy touch, but didn't flinch.

"Go on, now. Get back to whatever it was that you were doing before I shanghaied you," Anna scolded as she turned to head down the street with her cape flying in the wind. 

"Take care, Anna," Mulder whispered after her. She was a Halloween experience all by herself. Somehow, the night suited her. 

Mulder sensed that it was getting late. Scully was probably finished with the candy detail and might be wondering what on earth he was doing. He wasn't sure he could explain Anna, but he thought she'd get a kick out of his adventure. No one got hurt and the bad guys got properly thumped and children got bags full of candy. Sounded like a good night's work.

A few moment's later, Mulder appeared in Scully's kitchen watching her finish popping a giant bowl of popcorn. He had been aiming for the living room, but apparently had been thinking so hard about Scully that he simply zeroed in on her. He gave the peculiar minor-key whistle to warn her of an impending materialization. Her smile welcomed him home.

"Hey, Scully, you'll never believe what happened to me tonight," Mulder said as he grabbed the bowl of popcorn and floated it in midair to the living room. He settled in on the floor beside the couch letting his head leaning against the armrest at Scully's side. This position was close enough for conversation and kept his hands away from tempting targets. It was turning into a decent Halloween, after all, he thought as he settled in and relaxed to the feel of Scully's fingers ruffling through his hair. 

 

THE END


End file.
